Rajamandala

For other uses, see Mandala (disambiguation).

The Rajamandala (or Rāja-maṇḍala meaning "circle of kings";[1] मण्डल, maṇḍala is a Sanskrit word that means "circle") was formulated by the Indian author Chanakya (Kautilya) in his work on politics, the Arthashastra (written between 4th century BCE and 2nd century CE). It describes circles of friendly and enemy states surrounding the king's (raja) state.[2][3] Also known as Mandala theory of foreign policy or Mandala theory, the theory has been called as one of Kautilya's most important postulations regarding foreign policy.[4][5][6]

  1. ^ Torkel Brekke (2006), "Between Prudence and Heroism: Ethics of war in the Hindu tradition", The Ethics of War in Ancient Asia, Routledge, p. 124
    Kulke; Rothermund (2004), A History of India, p. 350
    Upinder Singh (2008), A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century, Pearson Longman, p. 349
  2. ^ Avari, Burjor (2007). India, the Ancient Past: A History of the Indian Sub-continent from C. 7000 BC to AD 1200 Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0415356156. pp. 188-189.
  3. ^ Singh (2011), Kautilya: Theory of State, Pearson Education India, pp. 11–13, ISBN 9788131758519.
  4. ^ Chakravarty, Amb (Retd) Pinak Ranjan (19 February 2016). "Distinguished Lectures Details: Foreign Policy Challenges for National Development". Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  5. ^ Boesche, Roger (2003). "Kautilya's Arthasastra on War and Diplomacy in Ancient India". The Journal of Military History. 67 (1): 9–37. doi:10.1353/jmh.2003.0006. ISSN 1543-7795. S2CID 154243517. Kautilya is most famous for outlining the so-called Mandala theory of foreign policy, in which immediate neighbors are considered as enemies, but any state on the other side of a neighboring state is regarded as an ally [...]
  6. ^ Hali, Sultan M (22 August 2019). "Chanakya's Mandala theory and Indian foreign policy". www.pakistantoday.com.pk. Retrieved 2020-10-06.